- This topic has 12 voices and 265 replies.
-
Posts
-
Yes, that blogger overreacted a bit (and perhaps I am), but that was the only link I could find of the text. Her saying this concerns me:
?It didn?t matter the color of their skin, it didn?t matter their language, it didn?t matter their economic status.? ?Once you got here, we were all the same. Isn?t that remarkable?? she asked.
because it's not entirely accurate.The media is so negatively focused on the Tea Party and TP candidates, that they just need to be extememly careful with what they say. I like her, but Bachmann may not be the best choice, IMO.As for the VA cuts, I agree there's waste that needs to be looked at, but aren't there other things she could look into? If she wants to be controversial, look at union pensions, welfare benefits, etc.
I do think she could have been clearer and more precise in what she was saying, so I agree that she needs to be careful in what she says (though again, I didn't watch the whole speech). Based on her words about skin color/language/economic status, one can interpret the part about “once you got here” as being over the course of hundreds of years of immigration, and that it was the vision that was crafted by the Framers (rather than the practice) which made no distinction between rich or poor, white or black, etc. I think that is what she was referring to (the argument I have heard in the past is that freeing the slaves was only made possible because of the what the Framers inserted into the Constitution, even though slavery continued on for decades after its creation). I'm not sure about the VA cuts, but I can almost guarantee you that significant union cuts are on the table in her plan as well. I think that we should always expect a possibility of “spin” when there are anti-Bachmann news stories (same as anti-Palin stories). I imagine that Bachmann and the Heritage Foundation would not want to tear into veterans just for the heck of it….there probably is another side of the story that we're not getting here.
Ok, this was only semi-humorous, but the voice intonations, especially at the beginning, are really good:[html][/html]
I am going to try and keep myself from getting worked up when I hear politicians of any strike talk about cutting Veteran's Benefits. I will admit I am biased being a veteran myself bu I cant help but wonder how anybody thinks veterans are getting over given the hundreds of billions of dollars spent every year on people that have never put there life on the line for their fellow countrymen. I am talking about welfare, food stamps, and medicaid here. 2.5 billion is chump change compared to what is spent in unearned entitlements every year. I would love to hear what the justification is for offsetting benefits. Republicans finally got rid of concurrent receipt a few years ago, which means that I will not lose retirement pay dollar for dollar if I am determined to have a service connected disability when I retire later this year. The Heritage Foundation report has no background, only numbers. Here is a CBO report from 2006 about veterans disability benefits. I cannot find any other in-depth discussion of what the purpose of these cuts is.As to Bachmann or indeed, any politicians use or misuse of history. She is not remarkable for her ignorance only remarkable to the extent tha any incorrect historical references she or any other conservative uses will be much more blown out of proportion than those of liberals.I cant see the video because it is only available in the US and I have a foreign IP address.
Ok, this was only semi-humorous, but the voice intonations, especially at the beginning, are really good:
Is this another SNL skit? They did get the hand gestures correct.BTW, I contacted her via email. I will let you know if I hear back. If it's just some generic response, I'll be very disappointed.
OK, I found a report from the CBO that talks about both SSDI and VDC and the difference between the two programs as well as their costs. Very interesting paper, especially given that I am in the process of putting my VA paperwork together prior to retiring.Differences Between Disability Benefits Available Under SSDI and VDC
Here is a good [urlhttp://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=58E5B0F1-9D32-4D5A-A101-AC6F5787A68C]analysis piece from Politico [/url] about what the Tea Party is and is not and why it scares the hell out of republicans and democrats. I thought this was the best paragraph in the piece and a very apt description:
In the tea party world, structure is bad, political parties are corrupt, politicians are liars and authority is suspect. In other words, members are just like my kids and American voters ? but a little more so.
My Italics
The article says the TP is a movement, where I think it is a revolution. What's the difference between the two, if there are any?
The article says the TP is a movement, where I think it is a revolution. What's the difference between the two, if there are any?
I would say that a movement expresses a political opinion or desire while a revolution seeks to overthrow the current government/regime. Movement sounds accurate to me. The Tea Party does not seek to overthrow the government, only to reform it and it get the country back to first principles.
The Tea Party does not seek to overthrow the government, only to reform it and it get the country back to first principles.
Then in that case, it would have to be overthrown. 😀
